"who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception,3 and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;"
Ar-rizq ("provision of sustenance") applies to all that may be of benefit to man, whether it be concrete (like food, property, offspring, etc.) or abstract (like knowledge, piety, etc.). The "spending on others" is mentioned here in one breath with God-consciousness and prayer because it is precisely in such selfless acts that true piety comes to its full fruition. It should be borne in mind that the verb anfaqa (lit., "he spent") is always used in the Qur'an to denote spending freely on, or as a gift to, others, whatever the motive may be.
" "O my Sustainer! If only Thou wouldst grant me a delay for a short while " - Lit., "for (ila) a term close by".64_1 The above construction, pointing to man's acceptance or denial of the truth of God's creative activity, is in accord with Tabari's interpretation of this passage, as well as with that of Az-Zajjaj (quoted by Razi). According to Zamakhshari, those who deny this truth are mentioned first because they are more numerous and possess greater influence than those who consciously believe in God. A further implication appears to be this: Since all human beings are endowed with the instinctive ability to perceive the existence of the Creator (cf. 7:172), one man's denial of this truth and another's belief in it is, in the last resort, an outcome of free choice:
"AND WHENEVER thy Sustainer brings forth their offspring from the loins of the children of Adam, He [thus] calls upon them to bear witness about themselves: "Am I not your Sustainer?" - to which they answer: "Yea, indeed, we do bear witness thereto!"" (7:172)
In the original, this passage is in the past tense ("He brought forth", "He asked them", etc.) thus stressing the continuous recurrence of the above metaphorical "question" and "answer": a continuity which is more clearly brought out in translation by the use of the present tense. According to the Qur'an, the ability to perceive the existence of the Supreme Power is inborn in human nature (fitrah); and it is this instinctive cognition - which may or may not be subsequently blurred by self-indulgence or adverse environmental influences - that makes every sane human being "bear witness about himself" before God. As so often in the Qur'an, God's "speaking" and man's "answering" is a metonym for the creative act of God and of man's existential response to it.
Yusuf Ali Explanation: "Substance" or "Sustenance". Whatever good we enjoy comes from Allah, and it is our duty to use some of it in the service of others, for that is Charity and the service of Allah. Every unselfish act is Charity. And we must not postpone our good resolutions to the future. Death may come suddenly on us, and we cannot then be allowed to plead for more time. Every present moment calls urgently for its good deed.
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation: There is complexity in the syntactical analysis of this sentence.
Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi has explained it He writes: In this verse, the word وَاَکُنۡ is in the form of an indefinite vowelless (muḍari sakin) verb and is apparently co-ordinated to فَاَصَّدَّقَ which itself is in the accusative. However, in my opinion, the expression وَاَکُنۡ مِّنَ الصّٰلِحِیۡنَ is the answer to a suppressed condition. If this suppression is revealed, then the discourse would be something to the effect: “If I had spent in charity, I would have been among the righteous.” Since the textual indication of this condition in the form of فَاَصَّدَّقَ is evident, it is suppressed. (Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i Qur’an, vol. 8, 406)
Qur'an Wiki:
With respect to charitable donations, the surah here touches their hearts in several ways: "Give, then, out of what We have provided for you." This reminds us of the source of all that we have. It is all from God in whom we believe and who instructs us to be generous and charitable. Such giving should be done "before death comes to any ofyou.. ." It should be a result of the person's own action before death overtakes him and he leaves everything behind for others to enjoy. If he does not do so then he will look around only to discover that he has put nothing forward for his own salvation. This is the worst stupidity and the greatest loss. He will then feel pangs of regret and wish he could have more time to be charitable and join with those people who are righteous.
And thus Allah warns i the very next ayah that once an appointed time comes, it can never be delayed:
For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
- The plain translation has been taken from the Qur'ān officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [1]
- The exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. [2]
- Towards Understanding the Quran
- Tafsir Ibn Khatir
- Muhammad Asad Translation
- Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
- Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
- Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
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